Siman - Megillah Daf 9
- Ptolemy Hamelech having the Torah translated into Greek
The Mishnah on Daf 8b brought a machlokes whether Tanach can be written in any language, besides for Lashon Hakodesh, or only in Greek. The Gemara here, brings a Baraisa that teaches that when Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel permitted using Greek, לא התירו אלא בספר תורה ומשום מעשה דתלמי המלך – they only permitted it for a sefer Torah and because of the incident with the Greek king Ptolemy. As it was taught in a Baraisa: מעשה בתלמי המלך שכינס שבעים ושנים זקנים והכניסן בשבעים ושנים בתים – There was an incident with King Ptolemy when he assembled seventy-two Jewish elders and placed them in seventy-two separate rooms, and he did not tell them what his intent was. He then went to visit each one and said to them separately, “Write for me a Greek translation of the Torah of Moshe Rabbeinu.” נתן הקדוש ברוך הוא בלב כל אחד ואחד עצה והסכימו כולן לדעת אחת – HaKadosh Borach Hu put wisdom in the heart of each one and they all came to the same understanding, and changed the translations in certain pesukim. They were all concerned that if the Torah was translated literally, it might lead to certain misconceptions. The Gemara identifies the changes they made in various pesukim.
- The source that the Torah can be written in Greek
Rebbe Yochanan said: What is Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel’s reason for permitting the Torah to be written in Greek and not in any other language? For the passuk states: "יפת אלקים ליפת וישכן באהלי שם" – May Hashem expand Yefes and He will dwell in the tents of Shem. This means, דבריו של יפת יהיו באהלי שם – The words of Yefes, referring to his language, shall be in the tents of Shem. The Gemara asks, why not interpret it to mean that that the passuk is referring to Gomer and Magog, who were also descendants of Yefes, and not the Greeks. Rebbe Chiya bar Abba answered, that the reason is that it is written in the passuk, "יפת אלקים ליפת" – May Hashem beautify Yefes, which can be interpreted to mean, יפיותו של יפת יהא באהלי שם – The beauty of Yefes should be in the tents of Shem. This refers to Greek, which is considered the most beautiful of languages from Yefes’ descendants.
- אין בין כהן משוח בשמן המשחה למרובה בגדים
The next Mishnah states: אין בין כהן משוח בשמן המשחה למרובה בגדים אלא פר הבא על כל המצות – There is no difference between the Kohen Gadol anointed with the anointing oil, and a Kohen Gadol invested through the wearing of additional bigadim, except the bull that comes for all the mitzvos. Rashi explains that a Kohen Gadol that was anointed, who then errs in psak in a halachah where the punishment is kares when done b’meizid, and then acts in accordance with his wrong psak, he must bring a bull as a chatas. The Gemara infers from here, הא לענין פר יום הכפורים ועשירית האיפה זה וזה שוין – when it comes to a bull brought on Yom Kippur, which the Kohen Gadol brings as a chatas on behalf of himself, his family and Kohanim, as well as the tenth of an ephah, which the Kohen Gadol brings every day as the minchah chavitin, both the anointed Kohen Gadol and the Kohen Gadol invested by the additional bigadim, are identical in that these offerings apply to both.
